BC will need more than 14,600 additional construction and maintenance industry workers to meet peak labour demands by 2021

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BC will need more than 14,600 additional construction and maintenance industry workers to meet peak labour demands by 2021

posted on February 8, 2019

By Globe News Wire |

The labour market in British Columbia’s construction and maintenance industry has already experienced shortages and will require at least 14,600 additional workers by peak market activity in 2021, according to the latest labour market forecast released today by BuildForce Canada. But even as demand cools somewhat through 2028, a predicted healthy construction market paired with high retirement levels indicate the province will need to increase recruitment to keep pace with demands.

The stacking of several major projects, such as the LNG Canada facility, ongoing work at BC Hydro’s Site C project, the TransCanada Coastal GasLink pipeline, Phase 4 of the Highway 1 improvements, and several other major public infrastructure projects will combine to increase employment demand in the non-residential sector by 12,900 workers by 2021. When coupled with an increase in demand for an additional 1,700 residential construction workers, the province will need to recruit a further 14,600 workers during this period.

In the Lower Mainland, a sub-region of the provincial forecast, similar strong demand exists, and will be driven by high levels of both non-residential and residential construction. Several diverse and large non-residential construction projects slated to proceed over the next several years include the Pattullo Bridge replacement, the Vancouver airport expansion, the Millennium Line and Surrey light rail transit systems, St. Paul’s Hospital, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority container expansion, and various pipeline projects.

While continuing demand is driving the labour narrative in the province’s construction and maintenance industry, retirements from the industry are also on the rise. About 44,200 workers are expected to retire from the provincial labour force over the next 10 years, with 24,600 of those from the Lower Mainland. Based on historical trends, the industry can expect to draw an estimated 36,500 first-time new entrants aged 30 and younger into the provincial labour force, including 21,000 from the Lower Mainland.

The development of skilled tradespersons in the construction industry takes years, and often requires participation in a provincial apprenticeship program. Over the past five years, more than 52,000 apprentices registered in the province’s 15 largest construction programs, with 22,580 completions registered during that period. An ongoing commitment to training and apprenticeship development will be necessary to ensure there are sufficient numbers of qualified tradespeople to sustain a skilled workforce over the long term.

Building a sustainable labour force will also require the construction and maintenance industry to increase recruitment from groups traditionally underrepresented in the current construction labour force, including women, Indigenous Canadians, and new Canadians.

In 2018, women employed in British Columbia represented 48% of the province’s total labour force. In the province’s construction and maintenance industry, however, women represented just 12% of the industry’s labour force and accounted for only 3.8% of workers employed in direct on-site project construction. Similarly, Indigenous Canadians also represented a small percentage of the construction labour force, accounting for little more than 5.7% of the total. Increasing the participation rate of both these groups would go a long way to helping the industry address its future labour force needs.

British Columbia’s construction workforce is made up of approximately 24% new Canadians. Over the coming decade, the province is expected to welcome an average of 37,000 newcomers every year, making the immigrant population an important future source of potential workers for the province’s construction and maintenance industry.

BuildForce Canada is a national industry-led organization that represents all sectors of Canada’s construction industry. Its mandate is to provide accurate and timely labour market data and analysis, as well as programs and initiatives to help manage labour force requirements and build the capacity and the capability of Canada’s construction and maintenance industry. Visit www.constructionforecasts.ca.

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